Kansas City, Missouri

Deadly Semi Truck Crash In Phoenix Arizona

The Arizona Republic has reported on a deadly commercial truck crash north of Phoenix, AZ that killed 3 motorcyclists and injured 6 others. This in one of several deadly tractor trailer crashes across the country in just days, including a horrific eighteen wheeler accident in Kentucky that killed at least 11 church members.

Initial reports suggest the truck driver was doing paperwork while driving and not paying attention.

Investigators are searching for answers in a fiery crash that killed three motorcyclists and injured six others when a commercial truck plowed into the back of the group in north Phoenix.

In what police described as a "horrific accident," eight motorcycles carrying nine people were stopped at the intersection of 27th Drive and Carefree Highway on Thursday afternoon when the truck barreled through, pinning three bodies underneath before bursting into flames, police said.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene where many tried to help until rescuers arrived.

"I grabbed all the water I could and took blankets because there were bodies everywhere. It was horrible," said Lynn McDowell, an employee of a nearby Walgreen’s drugstore.

Three people were pronounced dead at the scene. Six more were in critical condition, including a veteran Phoenix fire captain who was taken into surgery Thursday afternoon, said a Phoenix Fire Department spokesman. A medical helicopter landed at least twice to transfer victims to the hospital.

The truck driver and fire captain were not immediately identified. Identities also were pending late Thursday on the other victims in the crash.

"As a motorcycle officer and motorcycle rider, I have never seen such a horrific accident," Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris said.

After the truck hit the motorcycles, the truck burst into flames and hit a sport-utility vehicle, a pickup and a sedan that were in front of the motorcycles. No one in those vehicles was injured, said Phil Dyer, a spokesman for the Daisy Mountain Fire Department, which also responded to the crash.

Afterward, the Blue Sky Sanitation truck was smoking, and popping could be heard before the fiery explosion. Witnesses saved at least two people who were near the truck by pulling them to safety.

At least 50 firefighters and two ladder crews responded to the scene. Dozens of onlookers gathered around the wreckage.

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Krukoff said she talked to the truck’s driver.

"He was in shock," she said. "I didn’t smell no alcohol. He told me he wasn’t paying attention, just shuffling with his paperwork."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in this horrific tragedy and also to their family members, friends and neighbors. That this tragic crash could have been avoid makes the suffering that much worse.

How could this truck driver have been doing paperwork while driving an 80,000 pound rig down the highway?

All motorists — and especially semi truck drivers with 80,000 pound rigs — are supposed to be alert and leave enough room in front of them to be able to avoid crashes like this one. Now, I agree that the vast majority of truckers out there are safe, but even a few bad apples give all the other tractor trailer drivers a bad name.

Nationwide, large trucks (known as tractor trailers, semi trucks, eighteen wheelers, diesel, big rigs, or commercial trucks) make up only about 3% of the vehicles on the road. However, they account for far more traffic fatalities. For example, in Missouri, semi truck crashes make up as much as 15% of traffic deaths. In Illinois, tractor trailer crashes cause more than 10% of traffic deaths.

Why do crashes like this keep happening? The most likely answers are distracted driving and fatigue, although it appears weather may have been factor in the Wyoming pile up.

Earlier this year, the federal government enacted regulations to crack down on distracted driving by truck and bus drivers. A study by Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute found that distracted truck drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a close call.

The NTSB found that trucker fatigue was a contributing factor in 30%-40% of all diesel truck accidents. The NTSB found that proper sleep patterns are imperative for truck driver safety. Truckers must get 8 hours of continuous sleep after driving for 10 hours or after being on duty for 15 hours for proper safety.

1 Comment

My husband doesn’t drive a truck, but drives a lot, and is always fidgeting with his technology….his iphone, his bluetooth, his GPS navigator…it drives me crazy and we fight about it constantly. I’m showing him this article because his line is always, “everything’s under control.” Which it clearly isn’t, to me. The amount of technology now in vehicles has gone from CD players to out-of-control, and it scares me to be on the road at any time. This is our next major public health threat, I believe.

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